Chavez pitches A's to sweep of Rangers

Posted: April 30, 2014 - 10:42pm | Updated: May 1, 2014 - 12:31am

ARLINGTON — Jesse Chavez allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings, Eric Sogard matched his season total with three RBIs on Wednesday night and the Oakland Athletics completed a three-game sweep with a 12-1 rout of the sloppy Texas Rangers.

Yoenis Cespedes had two doubles, scored twice and drove in two runs for the A’s, who scored 10 runs combined in the third and fourth innings to answer a three-game sweep by the Rangers in Oakland last week.

The Rangers matched a season high with four errors, including one of two by shortstop Elvis Andrus on what could have been an inning-ending double play in Oakland’s seven-run third.

■ Nationals 7, Astros 0

HOUSTON — Anthony Rendon finished a triple shy of the cycle and had four hits, Jordan Zimmermann pitched smoothly into the seventh inning and the Washington Nationals beat the Houston Astros.

Rendon connected for a two-run double in a four-run fourth and added a solo home run in the sixth. The Houston native added a double in the first and a single in the third but flew out to left in the eighth.

Zimmermann (2-1) scattered seven hits in 61/3 innings. He struck out seven to earn his 45th win with the Nationals, making him the winningest pitcher since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington in 2005.

Denard Span and Kevin Frandsen each had two hits and Danny Espinosa also had two hits, including a solo home run in the fifth that chased Brett Oberholtzer (0-5).